Saanich Police warn of counterfeit money being used

Saanich Police say counterfeit money has been circulating in Greater Victoria over the last few days. Reports were made of fake $100 Canadian bills being used in stores in the area.

Police say the suspect or suspects are using the counterfeit bills to make small purchases.

At a glance, the bills are convincing, according to police, so merchants accepted them as payment and gave legitimate change. Later, when the suspects were long gone, the merchants realized the bills were fake.

The transparent parts of real bills have been taped and glued into the fake ones. The vertical transparent panel in the bill should state the bill’s amount repeatedly throughout, but with the fake bills, the panel has been taken from bills of lesser value and pasted in place. For example, one of the $100 bills given to police had the clear, vertical panel of a $10 bill taped in place.

If anyone comes across the fake bills, police say to place them in an envelope and notify the police.

For information about the security features in bank notes, police recommend visiting the Bank of Canada website.